Drinks
by KateScribbles
Summary: An additional scene for episode 9x10. They all go out for their well deserved drinks.


They made their way to a local bar; one they'd often frequented as it was rarely overcrowded and the staff were discreetly attentive. The room was humming with the murmur of conversation from other patrons and the mellow music that played quietly in the background. They converged around a corner table that was just large enough for all of them. Harvey and Donna were pressed together on a bench seat that ran across the back wall. Alex pulled up chairs for himself and Gretchen while Mike and Samantha made their way to the bar.

As promised, Samantha bought the first round and they raised their glasses to the firm. Everyone was in celebratory mood; Faye was gone, they had their autonomy back and the oppressive working atmosphere would clear. However, as their conversation turned to the future and new opportunities, Donna was reminded that the great cost of the firm's freedom was currently unknown to everyone but herself and Harvey. It was a strange and extraordinary secret to keep.

She was surprised that no one had queried Harvey's deal further since Louis had questioned him at the office. Harvey had brushed the situation off and although his jokes had been accepted in the moment, they wouldn't have long until an explanation was required.

Donna surmised that Gretchen began to suspect that something significant was going on when both she and Harvey attempted to surreptitiously withdraw from the conversation regarding future contracts, cases and recruits. She wondered when they'd have to break the news and decided that they would tell Louis first, they owed him that.

Donna was relieved when she was left momentarily alone with Harvey a short time later. They both took deep breaths before turning to one another. Their decision was monumental and would result in the biggest shift in their life for over a decade. As the two of them eyed each other, they recognised that there was no doubt there; they had done the right thing, both for themselves, and for their friends, who had all put themselves on the line that day.

They returned to watching their jubilant colleagues who were buying another round of drinks. They were arguing good naturedly over whose turn it was to pay, while the barman waited patiently. Donna was pretty sure it was hers, but she wasn't about to move.

She imagined for a moment how she would be feeling if she were on the other side of the room with them, in the dark about what Harvey had agreed to do. She wondered if she would still have known the truth if they hadn't been together. She considered what her reaction would have been if she'd been blindsided by this, if he'd announced that he was moving across the country before he'd knocked on her door that night; before they were this. Donna felt her heart ache at the mere thought of it. He turned to her with questioning eyes as he felt her shake the notion away.

She looked at him.

"Would you be doing this without me?", she asked.

He laughed.

"Absolutely not" he said, as he shook his head.

"You know that", he continued, as he quirked his eyebrow at her.

She did know that. He'd meant it when he said forever.

Donna cast her mind back to their conversation the previous day. Harvey had accepted that he was never going to win Faye over. The woman's unwavering and intense dislike of him was not unparalleled, but her position was. If their initial plan didn't work, Harvey had conceded that leaving was the only option left. Without his resignation, the firm would have collapsed and they could not have watched that happen while knowing that they could have prevented it.

Donna had agreed to the move without hesitation. He needed to do this and, therefore, she needed to. The almost imperceptible nods they'd shared in the conference room had cemented their decision.

"I was just thinking about how I would have felt if this had happened before we were together", Donna said.

"It wouldn't have happened", Harvey shrugged.

Donna wasn't quite sure what he would have done differently, however, it was a moot point; she'd have followed him anyway.

Donna ran her hand over the back of his head and threaded her fingers through the short strands of hair at the nape of his neck.

"Would you have left without me?", he queried.

She considered his question for a moment and realised the absurdity of their conversation. They hadn't gone anywhere without each other for most of their adult lives and they wouldn't ever again.

"Well, I do really want to see Rachel", she said.

Harvey rolled his eyes and turned his gaze back to the bar. She pressed her fingers against the side of his neck until his eyes met hers again.

"No, Harvey", she confirmed as she briefly pressed her lips against his in a soft kiss.

"You know that", she repeated his earlier statement as they watched each other.

He did know that. She'd meant it when she said she wasn't going to leave him.

Even the thought of her going in the opposite direction unnerved him though and he moved his right arm across her lap to wrap his fingers around her knee and pull her even closer, anchoring her to him.

Donna smiled, hugged his arm to her chest and rested her chin on his shoulder. While it was going to be difficult to leave the firm, it would have been impossible to leave each other.

She watched his profile; he was so tired and while his weariness was obvious to others, it was palpable to her. The last few weeks had pummeled him and she longed to take some of his pain away. He'd told her that as long as she was there, he was okay, however, she was determined to manage as much of their move as possible, in order to relieve some of the pressure he felt.

As Harvey brushed his lips against Donna's forehead he could see that she was mentally cataloguing all of the things that they would need to do in the next few weeks. He realised that it would be a very long list and he was not surprised when she presented him with her plan the following morning. He was surprised to see that the first item on the agenda was "Vacation".

She changed it to "Honeymoon" a very short time later.

* * *

Thank you to krystalsteph for the prompt for this one!


End file.
